Weird and Wonderful Are on Display at Vegas Expo
A digital alarm clock that measures body fat. An electronic bracelet that tracks a child’s or teenager’s location 24 hours a day. A set of 3-D glasses that can view a lingerie show online.
If you think these products are too weird to be true, you’ve never been to the Consumer Electronics Show,the annual trade extravaganza that brings together thousands of manufacturers, inventors, dreamers and schemers.
Many of the items on the cavernous display floors of the newly expanded Las Vegas Convention Center this week belonged to well-known product categories: flat-screen TVs, MP3 players, car audio systems, hand-held computers, multi-use watches, vibrating chairs and robot dogs.
But often the most wonderous, amusing and even disturbing products were found in small booths, sans the dancers, costumed characters, autograph-signing celebrities and magicians that the big operators lavish on their booths. Some of these gadgets already areon the market, others are scheduled to go on sale in the next few months, and a few will never make it into the real world of retail.
The show is a combination of the sublime and the ridiculous. And sometimes you get the feeling these products were developed just to make you smile--either with delight or bemusement over the question: “What were they thinking?”
Here are some highlights:
Body Mass Index Clock
What time is it? Time to put down that Krispy Kreme.
This digital alarm clock comes from the fertile gadget fields of Oregon Scientific (www.oregon scientific.com), a company known for its radio-controlled clocks, home weather stations and sports products. At 31/4 inches by 31/4 inches, the clock is small enough to sit innocuously on the nightstand. Only you know its secret function.
Pick it up by the finger holds and the clock emits a tiny electrical charge to measure body-fat ratio, from 5% to 60%.
The company also introduced its Vibrating Alarm Clock Radio, which has a disk that slips under a pillow. At wake-up time it vibrates, allowing you to rise and shine without disturbing your partner. It also comes with six “sound-soother” modes to lull you to sleep, including waterfall, birds and ocean waves.
Lasershield Home Security System
Despite the name, this has nothing to do with lasers. “It’s a common term used in the field. People associate it with security,” said Tony Dohrmann, chief executive of Lasershield Systems (www.laser shield.net).
The product looks like a miniature of Las Vegas’ Luxor pyramid and won’t easily blend into most decors. But it is an ingenious product that, in some cases, minimizes the need to have a hard-wire security system installed.
The 8-inch-tall pyramid contains a motion detector that can monitor about 35 feet of surrounding space. It can be activated with a key-chain remote (eliminating the keypad that comes with many home systems) and plugs into a telephone line. If the alarm is triggered, the monitoring company is notified.
The beauty of the system, if it works as advertised, is that it can be picked up and carried to a new abode if you move.
The cost of the main unit, which the company hopes to have on the market in June, will be $150, plus a $15.95 monthly fee for monitoring. Smaller, satellite units (also pyramids) for additional rooms will sell for $60.
Ectaco Universal Translator
If we had to pick one product at CES that gave us the most delight, it would be this hand-held, voice-activated unit that translates spoken English phrases into Spanish, French or German.
“It has 3,000 phrases, which covers a lot of human conversation when you are traveling and don’t know what you are doing,” said Andrew Ageev, product manager for the unit, which was developed in St. Petersburg, Russia.
The demonstration did not start out well. Ageev’s colleague, Davydov Arkadiy, chose Spanish on the unit--which is about the size of a PDA--and put his mouth near its built-in microphone. He carefully asked, “Where is the subway map?” After a moment, the digital screen displayed the line, “Where is the taxi?” and then pronounced the phrase in Spanish.
A second try with the subway question resulted in the phrase, “I want to cancel this.”
But from then on, it was mostly smooth sailing. I said into the translator, “What size is this?” and it correctly translated the phrase into Spanish. I asked: “What is the exchange rate?” and it came up with, “What is the exchange rate for dollars?”
“Look, it works!” Ageev said with a laugh.
But then I tried, “How much to mail the package?” and it said in Spanish, “How much to mail a postcard?”
“Well, a postcard is nicer,” said Ageev, who added that the translator will eventually recognize 10,000 phrases.
Even with the mistakes, the unit--which allows cancellation of a translation before it’s uttered--was impressive. Distributed by Ectaco (www.ectaco.com), it’s currently available for $250.
GPS Personal Locator for Children
This brightly colored device, which looks like an oversized watch, contains a global positioning satellite unit that tracks the wearer’s movements. The developer, Wherify Wireless (www.wherify.com), advertises that the device provides, “peace of mind for parents. Cool for kids.”
The basic unit, scheduled for release in March, costs $300. There also is a monthly fee of $29.95. At any time, a parent can check on the Internet to get the exact address or location of the wearer. The wearer’s movements during the day also arerecorded.
The unit comes with a button that activates an alarm at the monitoring company in emergencies. The alarm also is triggered if the device is removed without authorization.
Company founder Timothy Neher said the product first would be marketed for children up to age 12. Future models will be developed for teenagers and contain additional functions, such as paging, a cell phone, or the ability to get sports scores, Neher said.
Would he have been happy about wearing one as a teenager? “If I were a teenage girl, I would probably wear one,” he said. “But as a boy, I would need more functionality.”
Poma Wearable Computer
Can’t bear to be away from your computer? Come March, you will be able to wear this fully functional Windows machine developed by Xybernaut (www.xybernaut.com).
The processing unit, which clips onto your belt, is not much larger than a PDA. The viewer is a little screen, attached to a headband, that is positioned over one eye, making you look like a digital pirate. You also get a device the size of a fat pen that is your mouse. The entire system will retail for about $1,500.
Just how practical is it? It takes some getting used to. After about 10 minutes of adjustments to the headband, I finally could comfortably see the screen. The computer is powerful enough to play back full-motion videos. But do you really want to watch a movie on a screen that small?
As for word processing, the only way to type is to use an on-screen keyboard with the pen/mouse.
Using the Poma is a bit disconcerting at first. If you thought cell phones were dangerous, this device takes it to a whole new level. “The manual explicitly spells out when this should not be used,” said product manager Adam Robinson.
ProtecTV
This electronic box, which hooks up to a television, blocks profanity in any broadcast, video or DVD that is closed-captioned (the captioning goes through the unit a split-second before the program is on the TV).
“We identified 100 swear words and with their variations, it comes to about 400 words,” said CEO James Gee of ProtecTV (www. protectv.com).
That seemed like a lot of words. “Take the word, ‘hell,’” he explained. “Some people might not consider it objectionable, but we included it.”
At CES, a ProtecTV box, which has a suggested retail price of $70, was being demonstrated with the film “Pulp Fiction.” It played like a silent movie.
P5 Glove
Engineers perpetually try to come up with an alternative to the computer mouse. This attempt is a lightweight, plastic glove that moves a cursor with hand motions. The developer, Essential Reality (www.essentialreality.com), said it has many uses but it seems to be most appropriate for first-person computer games.
You maneuver through a game by waving your hand and fire weapons with finger movements.
This device, which is scheduled to come out in May, definitely takes some getting used to. And it is not quite finished. During a demonstration, the on-screen cursor would sometimes freeze no matter how frantic my waving.
“We have just a few more kinks to work out,” said company official David Devor.
Hands-free Speakerphone Accessory
I had high hopes for this speaker/microphone by Unwired Technology (www.unwiredtechnology.com) that clips on a car headrest, providing hands-free cell phone operation. Unfortunately, the test unit did not fit the headrest of my Honda Civic, and I couldn’t get the speaker to work.
Much more successful was the Jabra Earboom Winder, which uses an earplug with a miniature microphone attached. It’s so little that it looked like something Barbie would wear, but the device worked particularly well--no surprise because Jabra (www.jabra.com) is one of the leaders in the hands-free cell phone field. What’s new about this unit is that it has a retractable wire, making it easier to keep the plug from yanking free during use. The price is $35.
TDV 3-D Viewing System
The sun will come up in the morning, Tony Danza will be cast as a single dad on a TV sitcom, and someone will announce that 3-D is back.
TVD Technologies (www.TDV3D.com) has just begun selling electronic 3-D glasses for $99 that can be used to view data on its Web site. The viewable material is limited, but company officials say they plan to present a beauty pageant, a chess tournament and the first 3-D lingerie show on the Internet.
The still images on the site do not bode well for this device. Viewed through the glasses, pictures were fuzzy.
Old-fashioned Viewmasters provide more satisfying viewing.
I-Spot
The I-Spot consists of a transmitter, docking station and attachable receivers that go on keys, wallets and other items that are easily misplaced. Press a button on the transmitter and a receiver lets out a loud tone, signalling the location of a lost item within 40 feet.
The transmitter has a built-in alarm to remind you to return it to the docking station so it doesn’t get lost either.
From Digital Innovations (www.digitalinnovations.com), a starter pack with three receivers sells for $55.
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David Colker covers personal technology. He can be reached at david.colker@latimes.com.
